Reed Schreck: Favre’s arm still has life

Tuesday

Looks like Brett Favre still has a throw — or two — left in that ol’ 38-year-old right arm.

Looks like Brett Favre still has a throw — or two — left in that ol’ 38-year-old right arm.

The talk all week was that he might have lost some arm strength after underthrowing a few balls in Green Bay’s last game against Washington. Well, ask the Denver Broncos after he opened his team’s scoring with a 79-yard touchdown bomb to James Jones and closed it with an 82-yarder to Greg Jennings to win the game 19-13 on the first snap from scrimmage in overtime.

Heck, just ask his teammates.

“Yeah, I have,” veteran wideout Donald Driver said when asked if he’s seen Favre throw two better balls. “But those were the best two today.

“I take my hat off to him. He threw them right on the money.”

Ask the coach, Mike McCarthy. “I thought he threw that (last) ball in rhythm,” he said.

Ask Favre’s backup, Aaron Rodgers, who wonders whether his hair will be gray by the time he gets to replace Favre.

“He made some great throws,” Rodgers said. “I just don’t think the game had to be that close.”

Really, it was just another typical Green Bay game this season. The Packers were close to blowing out the Broncos in the first half.

Green Bay was so close to being blown out early by the Broncos in the first half as well.

That shows you how far the Packers have come — and how far they have to go.

It was that kind of game; it’s been that kind of season. Nothing comes easy; nothing is given up easily.

The Packers please their fans by twice driving to the 1-yard line... and frustrate them by settling for two field goals and having Favre overthrow a pass on the goal line to an open Driver. They encourage them by going 79 yards on one play in 13 seconds.

They agonize again when Favre fumbles the ball on a third-and-3 play near midfield, even if he did recover.

The Broncos reach the Green Bay 1 and don’t score, as Nick Barnett recovers a fumbled snap. The defense has shown a knack for coming up with those big plays when needed all season — and none was bigger than holding Denver to a field goal on the final play of regulation.

Then Favre shows, convincingly, that there’s nothing wrong with that arm on that winning pass.

“That was exciting. That was probably the most exciting it’s been in my nine years here. That was remarkable,” Driver said.

As for Favre’s arm, let Driver have the last say:

“It answers (the questions). If they want to say anything now, they can just watch film with us on Wednesday and see he put them on the money. Both of them.”

Reed Schreck is the NFL writer for the Rockford Register Star. Contact him at 815-987-1381 or rschreck@rrstar.com.

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